It’s the middle of the night, you can’t sleep, and for some reason you’re hungry. Most people would probably go down to the kitchen and get a snack. Maybe some toast, chips, or even just water. However, for a lot of people, that’s impossible. Many people have just enough food, living from scarce meal to scarce meal, to be satisfied. In fact, over 1 billion people live like this. They are unable to have snacks due to limited food supplies. World hunger needs to be solved. Immediately. The world’s hunger issue is a prevalent problem that has been affecting humans for years. We can fix this by looking at these three things: The causes of world hunger, how can we solve it effectively, who this affects the most and why.

You may think it’s the same old “not enough food, too many people” however, it’s much more complicated than that. Yet, there is merit to this claim, many countries such as India and high populated African countries have too many people, and not enough food (Neeta 2), but it’s not an excuse. Nations such as America have more than enough food, yet fail to distribute it properly. Around 16% of Americans are living in households that struggle with food, and part of the reason are food deserts (Horn 3). Food deserts are when healthy foods such as fresh fruits and vegetables are a lot more expensive than cheap processed foods, causing many families to rely on foods that aren’t necessarily great for their bodies, which 14 million Americans live in. (Horn 4) This can cause people to feel more hungry as a lot of processed foods don’t contain as many nutrients that prevent people from feeling the need to eat, thus causing them to eat more, leaving less food for others. Another cause for world hunger, specifically in third world or developing countries, is war. (TGS 2) War causes families to be displaced, resources to be wasted, and lives to be lost, similar to hunger. Which is ironic because it can also cause hunger. There are statistics that show countries either currently in conflict or have recently emerged from conflict have much more hunger issues in their nation. This could be caused by people having to run away from areas that have food due to safety issues, food being used or destroyed by militaries, or disruptions causing food to not be grown. Furthermore natural disasters can also be a huge issue in causing hunger, with similar reasons as to war. (Neeta 5) They could damage food supplies, displace people from food or supplies, and again, kill. All these issues are very prevalent today and could cause many lives to be lost or ruined, as by 2050 the world has to supply enough food for 9 billion people on earth, with the demand for food increasing by 60%. (Neeta 6)

SDG Development goal 2 Image Source

World hunger is a difficult topic, with many causes and not so many obvious solutions, but there are some. Education, for example, is a solution not many might think of, yet it would be beneficial in ending world hunger. (TheBorgenProject 4) It is an effective solution to world hunger as if you educate more people, they gain more knowledge and are more eligible for jobs, some of which could help the food industry. Another reason as to why education is a helpful solution is that it opens up more opportunities for people, this could include being a chef or working for a food organization. Which allows people to gain a better salary and help others, which in turn allows them to pay for food and possibly help out the less fortunate. These solutions are especially useful in developing countries where food is scarce and money is needed to survive. Furthermore, encouraging the purchases of organic and human farmed food could also help end world hunger, as it is supporting farmers to grow more food by paying them which in turn helps them expand their land or increase their effectiveness. (Neeta 5) This might be an obvious answer and one that many people dismiss, however it really is beneficial in more ways than one. Some of those ways would be increasing food security for others and reducing carbon emissions. Food security is when you have enough available food that is nutritious and fulfilling, making sure you never go hungry. Whilst reducing carbon emissions could help make the world a much healthier place, contaminate less foods, and prevent farmers from having to stay inside rather than farming in fear of getting sick. Finally, although it seems basic, raising awareness really does work. (Horn 6) It enables people to be aware, tell others, and act on it. It could encourage people to do something about it, fight for food to be better distributed, and making sure everyone is eliminating hunger from their diets. Ultimately helping cure the world-ridden virus affecting over 1 billion people that is starvation.

People working in the food industry to help others Image Source

The amount of people affected by world hunger is startling, yet the specifics are equally stunning. Hunger is an issue a lot of working to upper-class people don’t worry or think about, but it’s always in the minds of many. World hunger affects around 1.4 billion people (Bread 3), and that’s just a rough estimate. The majority of these are adults, yet 16 million children in the US live in households that struggle to provide sufficient food on a daily basis (Horn 2), which could leave lasting effects on said children. Another majority of the people affected by world hunger are people in developing countries, it’s estimated that 1.2 billion people in third world / developing countries are battling poverty and/or hunger (Bread 3), this is too many. At first glance these seem like just numbers, but these are people with families, friends, hobbies, things that people like you and me both have. It’s sickening to think that many people are at risk of illness or worse. People might wonder why? What is the cause of all this? What did they do to deserve this? Well, the answer is, nothing. They were born into these lives within areas that struggle with food and money. 9 million people like this die per year, 750,000 a month, and 24,650 a day (Kyle 1). These numbers also consist a portion of the elderly, with 3.9 million American seniors living below the poverty line (Bread 4). Another demographic affected are women. Of which actually make up around 60% of the world’s hungry people (Bread 6). Initially, when people think of world hunger, the first thing that comes to mind is probably a frail, skinny, middle eastern child. However, it’s not always the case. As stated above though it may be the majority it’s not the only kind of people affected. Working-class people can also be affected by hunger as well, whether it’s due to prioritizing other things or food being too expensive, you can never be sure. Someone could look healthy to you but maybe they’re hiding something, or their clothes cover how skinny they are, so don’t always be so certain. At the end of the day too many people are affected by not having enough food, and no matter their background, they deserve better.

World hunger is no joke, it affects millions of people every day. With solutions to causes dwindling and the situation only getting worse. The possibility of having 3 meals a day still being increasingly difficult for too many individuals. We need to fix this. Raise awareness, tell your friends, family, and even classmates. The plague of hunger has been impacting our world and people for too long, so stop it, do something.

Works Cited

Horn, John. “A Push to Take Hunger in U.S. off the Table.” Los Angeles Times, 3 Mar. 2013. SIRS Issues Researcher, explore.proquest.com/sirsissuesresearcher/document/2262355514?accountid=4047.

“Hunger Levels Remain ‘Serious’ or ‘Alarming’ in 52 Developing…” Targeted News Service, 12 Oct. 2015. SIRS Issues Researcher, explore.proquest.com/sirsissuesresearcher/document/2265349471?accountid=4047.

Kyle, Matt. “UN World Food Programme Director Informs about Feeding the Hungry,…” University Wire, 13 Sept. 2021. SIRS Issues Researcher, explore.proquest.com/sirsissuesresearcher/document/2594840351?accountid=4047.

Lal, Neeta. “Chronic Hunger Lingers in the Midst of Plenty.” SIRS Issues Researcher, 28 July 2016, explore.proquest.com/sirsissuesresearcher/document/2264174619?accountid=4047.

Patterson, Zachary. “10 Effective Ways to Stop World Hunger.” The Borgen Project, 2 Oct. 2016, borgenproject.org/10-ways-stop-world-hunger/. Accessed 17 May 2022.

“USDA Launches Initiative to Develop New Solutions to End Child Hunger.” SIRS Issues Researcher, 2 Mar. 2015, explore.proquest.com/sirsissuesresearcher/document/2250300129?accountid=4047.

“Who Experiences Hunger.” Bread.org, www.bread.org/who-experiences-hunger. Accessed 16 May 2022.